BISMARCK – A North Dakota man, Gregory Gooden, was arrested in Kingston, Jamaica, in connection with an international organized crime advance fee "lottery scam" that defrauded at least 90 mostly elderly U.S. residents out of more than $5.8 million, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The scheme, dubbed "Operation Hard Copy," is an international wire/mail fraud and money laundering conspiracy investigation based in North Dakota. Gooden, a Jamaican national, is one of 15 defendants charged federally in the investigation.
Gooden was arrested earlier this week in Kingston, Jamaica. He is currently being held in Jamaica, awaiting extradition to the United States.
The investigation, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s North Dakota office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Florida office, has resulted in federal indictments throughout the United States. In North Dakota, more than 10 defendants have entered guilty pleas in related cases.
One of Gooden’s former co-defendants, Sanjay Ashani Williams, was convicted following trial in North Dakota in 2015 and was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for selling victim lead lists used in the lottery scam.
Nine other defendants charged in the current case were arrested in Jamaica and have been extradited to the United States, where they await trial. Defendant Tristan Fisher was arrested on December 2, 2016, in Trelawny Parish, Jamaica, and is in custody there while his extradition case is being heard in the Jamaican court system.
Three individuals charged in this case remain fugitives and are believed to be in Jamaica: Gareth Billings, Akil Gray, and Mario Hines, aka "Buju Ramos."
The U.S. Marshals Service is the primary federal agency responsible for tracking and extraditing fugitives apprehended in foreign countries and wanted for prosecution in the United States.
U.S. Attorney Chris Myers praised the tireless work of Operation Hard Copy lead investigators.
An indictment is merely an accusation, a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity; individuals charged are presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
Related Federal Cases
- Melinda Bulgin, International Lottery Fraud Scheme, North Dakota 2023 · Florida
- Tyrice Excell Akins, Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking, North Dakota 2016 · Florida
- Joel Alejandro Quinonez, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, North Dakota 2022 · Florida
- Benedict T Palen Jr, Mail Fraud, Colorado 2017 · Florida
- Ladd Clayton Atkins, Health Care Fraud, Oklahoma 2025 · Illinois
Key Facts
- State: North Dakota
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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